Opposites Attract
by dewdrop.juri
Summary: He's brash, she's meek. He's loud, she's quiet. He's amazing in more ways than one, she's a wallflower hiding from existence. The list of differences between Kageyama Tobio and Takigawa Kumiko might go on forever and they were deemed as polar opposites. Until one day, everything started to change. All it took was Kumiko taking a direct hit to the face from one of Tobio's receives
1. Chapter 1

_"Takigawa-san, could you hand these to the volleyball club?"_

It all started out as a simple request from Takeda-sensei.

"Oh, I don't mind sensei. I'll give it to them."

The petite, brown-haired girl accepted the bunch of papers with both hands, careful not to get it creased or worn out. Her brown eyes blinked uneasily behind the frame of her glasses as the volleyball club adviser, Takeda Ittetsu, smiled at her gratefully.

"Thank you! You're a life saver! Just hand those over to Coach Ukai, then you can go home." He breathes out in relief, returning back to the piles of papers yet to be graded on his table. Takigawa Kumiko only nodded meekly, shouldering her bag and making her way to the gym.

From afar, she could hear the sounds of volleyball shoes squeaking against the gym floor, the occasional bounce of the ball against the wall, and amongst it, a flurry of curse words came as well.

"It sure is a noisy bunch…" She muses as she stepped over the stairs and slid the gym doors open. Her eyes met a rowdy group of teenage males, all in volleyball practice gear, exchanging tosses and receives over the net.

"Oi, Hinata! Don't just stand there, you dumbass!"

Her eyes caught sight of the familiar tall figure of a black-haired boy, yelling at a shorter orange-haired boy as he failed to receive the toss sent to him by the other group on the other side. Her brain racked as she tried to identify him. _Wasn't he in my class? If I recall correctly, his name was Kagurama? No, Kageyama? That's it, Kageyama—_

"The ball's going out of bounds!"

Kumiko, immediately snapping out of her train of thought, immediately noticed the stray ball going out of the court, and judging by its direction, it's going towards—

"Get out of the way, you idiot!"

 _*baaam!*_

She heard Kageyama's yells momentarily, then pain, and then everything turned black.


	2. Chapter 2

" _You overdid it this time, Kageyama!"_

" _Are you saying it's my fault she got hit?!"_

" _Of course it is! You put too much strength into that one!"_

" _You g-guys…Daichi-san's going to get mad…!"_

Muffled yells resounded throughout the place as Kumiko struggled to regain her consciousness. When she opened her eyes, an unfamiliar face of a black-haired girl with glasses stared down at her, offering her a relieved smile. "Ah, you're awake. Good."

"She's awake now." The girl called out to the others. Kumiko struggled to sit up, and a kind hand gently steadied her back, she turned to glance at who it is, and she found herself staring back at a taller male with silver hair and a warm, angelic face, crouching near her side.

"Ah, thank you—wah!"

Before she could thank the silver-haired male, two other males jumped in front of her: one with a clean-shaven head, and one with spiky hair. They were literally sparkling at the sight of her and Kumiko had to back away slightly from the sudden attention. "A-a-anou….!"

Tanaka and Nishinoya was starting to stare at her intensely, making Kumiko shrink back in fright every passing second.

"Control yourselves."

The other girl with the glasses slapped the two males at the back of their heads with a paper fan, but that didn't seem to anger them or snap them back to reality either. In fact the two males became happier.

"Ah~ Kiyoko-san hit us~!"

"Those two…sorry about them. Tanaka and Nishinoya are always like that whenever there's a girl around. The silver-haired male, remarks and offered Kumiko a smile. "Oh, I'm Sugawara Koushi, by the way."

Kumiko sheepishly returned the smile back and she only turned around to see Coach Ukai walk up to them along with who she presumed was the captain of the volleyball club.

"Are you okay? You took a really solid hit." Coach Ukai remarks as he crouches to assess her injuries. "Fortunately, you only blacked out for a few moments there."

He pulls back for a moment. "In a way, that's pretty sturdy of you, considering it was from Kageyama."

Kumiko stiffened at the contact with her injured face but Coach Ukai nods in satisfaction.

" _Here."_

A tall guy with his hair in a ponytail hands Kumiko her glasses, and it was indeed cracked and the frame was bent at a weird angle. The damage deemed her glasses unfit and she resisted the urge to sigh in depression that she has to buy another pair this time.

"A-ah. Sorry! It flew to the other side of the court and I got it for you." He remarks. "I'm Azumane Asahi, by the way."

"Oh, you didn't have to trouble yourself." Kumiko bows awkwardly and placed her glasses in her blazer pocket. "Thank you."

"Shimizu applied first-aid to that and the swelling reduced but visit the hospital just in case." The taller, dark-haired male remarked and smiled before motioning to Kiyoko, who in turn, responded with the briefest of nods. "I'm Sawamura Daichi, club captain. That's Kiyoko Shimizu, our manager."

"I'm Takigawa Kumiko." Kumiko bowed awkwardly as she stuttered over her next words. "Nice to meet you, s-senpai."

"Ah, that's right. Oi, Kageyama! Come over here!" Daichi calls out to the sulking first-year on the side, who immediately stiffened at the mere mention of his name.

Kumiko watched curiously as Kageyama Tobio made his way over to where they were and his eyes glared at Kumiko almost immediately when they made eye contact.

"Now, now. Don't be like that, Kageyama." Sugawara remarks as he noticed the atmosphere between the two of them. "You're scaring Takigawa-san."

"Come on, Kageyama. Apologize to her." Daichi reprimands the first-year setter who in turn reacted rather violently.

"Hah?! It wasn't my fault! She was in the way—gaah!"

Kageyama was unable to finish his rant when Daichi placed a warning hand on Kageyama's shoulder, squeezing it none too gently, all the while having a refreshing smile painted on his face.

"Apo-lo-gi-ze." Daichi says this with a happy smile, but his aura reeked of something more dangerous.

Kumiko gulps, happy she wasn't in Kageyama's position right now. Kageyama gulped before turning to face her once more.

"Oi, you."

"Y-y-yes!" Kumiko shivered and stuttered in fright.

Kageyama narrowed his eyes on her momentarily before turning his head to the side, avoiding Kumiko's gaze.

"So-sorry."

A splash of pink appeared on his face as he says this. Kumiko's head tilted to the side slightly, realizing the situation at hand. _Is he…blushing?_

"O-oh. It's fine. Kageyama-san. It was an accident." Kumiko replies, smiling at him a bit.

Kageyama's blush deepened at the sight of her smile.

"Uhm, Kageyama-san, are you okay? Your face is red—"

"Shut up! It has nothing to do with you!"

"Pfft. So the King has less experience when regards to women. How amusing."

Kumiko turned her head to see a tall blonde approach them, a jeering smirk on his face as he approached Kageyama.

"HAH?!" Kageyama retaliates none too lightly, standing up to Tsukishima's height.

"Are you looking for a fight, Tsukishima?!" He growls, aiming to grab the blonde's shirt collar, but Daichi stopped them, placing a warning hand on each of their shoulders.

"Okay, that's enough, you two. Back to practice." The captain muttered with a dark smile on his face, and the two immediately were reduced to obedient kouhais.

 _Sawamura-senpai is really something. How scary._ Kumiko thought to herself and then finally remembered her initial purpose for coming to the club.

"Anou… Takeda-sensei asked me to hand these papers to the Coach…?" Kumiko says as she shuffles through her things, arranging the papers and handing it over to Coach Ukai who took it eagerly.

"Oh. Just what I needed. Thank you, Takigawa."

"Ah—it was no pro-problem." Kumiko says as she awkwardly stands up, gathering her things and bowing. "I shall be taking my leave, then. Thank you for treating my injuries."

"Careful on the way back, Takigawa-san. Remember to put ice on that to further reduce the swelling." Sugawara reminds her and Kumiko only nods.

"Should we escort you out, Kumi-chan~?" Tanaka and Nishinoya simultaneously offered but Kumiko politely declined.

"I'll be fine. Thanks for the offer." She remarks as she turned her back, sliding the gym doors open and disappearing into the night.


	3. Chapter 3

"Waah! Kumi-chan! What happened to you?!"

"….It's a long story."

Suzuki Chiharu, a pretty girl with her red hair cut into a bob cut, only looks questioningly as Kumiko promptly took her seat near the window and began to absent-mindedly open the pages of her English textbook.

"Eeh? But showing up with a bandage on your nose…and why are you wearing those heavy-framed glasses? Aren't those your grandma used to wear?" Suzuki points out. "What really happened to you?"

Kumiko sighs and closes her textbook before facing her. "I'll tell you later... See? I'm fine." She dead-pans before pulling out her Biology manual and scribbled in some notes.

"But—"

 _*scchhkk!*_

The classroom door opened, cutting off Suzuki from another bout of inquiries. Kumiko instinctively drew her gaze to look at the newcomer. Glaring midnight-blue hues stared back at her and she winced. Kageyama was glaring at her before striding inside the classroom.

' _Gaah! I forgot he was in the same class too!'_ Kumiko panicked inside her head.

Kageyama continued on striding towards her direction and Kumiko clutched her book tightly, fearful of her life.

' _He-he's coming this way….! What do I do?'_

"Oh~ Kageyama! Good morning~"

Suzuki greets Kageyama as usual, making Kumiko look up a bit from her lab manual. _'Are they acquainted?'_ She wonders as Kageyama took his seat behind her desk.

"Osu." Kageyama greets Suzuki before he drilled his steely gaze on the girl in front of him.

"Oi, you. Is your face okay?"

Kageyama calls out to the girl in front of him and she jumped in her seat, startled by the sudden attention. She turned back to face him, her brown eyes blinking rapidly behind the frame of her glasses, a thin-lipped smile on her face as she responded.

"A-ah~ Yes! It got better after I iced it last night!" Kumiko replies.

Suzuki only blinks questioningly at the exchange of the two in front of her so couldn't help but ask, "Do you two know each other?"

"AH! You're that girl that Kageyama hit yesterday in the face!"

Before either Kumiko or Kageyama could answer Suzuki's question, Hinata came bursting in the classroom, pointing to Kumiko. Kageyama immediately holds up the shorter guy by the scruff of his neck, shaking him violently.

"HINATA, I'LL KILL YOU!"

"Oi, oi. Kageyama! You seriously hit a girl?" Suzuki remarks, astounded before she erupted into a fit of laughter. "Oi, you're pathetic, man!"

"SUZUKI! You shut up too!" The raven-haired male snapped at Suzuki, who was now hysterically laughing, hand clutching her stomach.

"But seriously! Oi, Kumi-chan~ You sure you're okay?" Suzuki's attention shifted to the gaping glasses-wearing girl who looked like she wanted to vanish from sight. "This guy has killer serves you know!"

"I-it was an accident! He didn't mean to hit me with a volleyball!" Kumiko blabbered out and hid her face in her book.

' _Waaaah…I sincerely wish I could blend in with the walls and disappear. Why did this happen to me in the first place…?'_ Kumiko complains in her mind as she groans.

* * *

"…that was a long day."

Kumiko slouched and let out a deep sigh as soon as the last bell for class rang. Suzuki looks at her depressed state and good-naturedly patted her in the back, startling poor Kumiko.

"You're letting out a piece of happiness every time you sigh, Kumi-chan! Cheer up, cheer up!" The red-haired girl encouraged as she held up a fist. "Kumi-chan, fight!"

"I wish I could be like you, Chi-chan. Your optimism amazes me to no bounds." Kumiko answers back before a question popped in her mind. "Oh by the way. How do you know Kageyama? You two seemed…" She pondered for the right word, "…acquainted."

"Aah, Kageyama, huh?" Chiharu muttered then placed a finger near her lip to think. "We went to the same middle-school, and got acquainted during a sports club pep rally. I was in the soccer club; he was in the volleyball club." The girl paused to grin at Kumiko. "His volleyball skills are amazing you know~"

Kumiko cringed. The memory of Kageyama's killer serve hitting her face still traumatized her. "Ah, that much I can tell."

Chiharu pursed her lips as she criticized the female in front of her. "But still, Kumi-chan~ You attract danger to you like a magnet!" She gushes out before her eyes sparkled as she remembered something. "Remember that time when you were asked to deliver the papers to the art club? You blanked out and bumped into one of their club members, and got yourself drenched by the water bucket he was hol—"

"Hai! Let's leave it at that shall we~" Kumiko stopped her before Chiharu could narrate a series of one of Kumiko's accidents. Chiharu only grinned then took a glance at her watch and panicked.

"Oh, crap! The time-! Kumi-chan, sorry. I gotta head to soccer practice!" The red-haired immediately panicked and shoved all of her things in her bag in a hurry.

Kumiko then laughed at her. "Better hurry up, Chi-chan~ Your captain is scary when she gets angry, right~?"

"Mou. Hai, hai. You better hurry up too~" Chiharu points out as soon as she was done. "Aniki isn't really lenient with latecomers, recently~"

Kumiko then panicked. "Gaah! Th-that's right! Club duties!" She hurriedly shoved everything into her bag. "Gotta go, Chi-chan! See you tomorrow!"

"Mhm~! Be careful, okay?" Chiharu calls out before Kumiko fully exited the classroom and went to the newspaper club's club room.

"Oh! Takigawa, what's with the old-fashioned glasses?"

"Shut up, Suzuki-senpai."

Kumiko pouts once she settled inside the club room, tossing her bag inside the baggage counter and grabbed a pen and notebook and taking a seat.

The president of the newspaper club and Suzuki Chiharu's older brother, Suzuki Takechiro, only laughs as he playfully ruffles the hair of the only first-year club member, causing the brunette to further complain.

"Senpai…please stop messing my hair..."Kumiko complained as she adjusted the glasses that were falling off on the bridge of her nose almost all the time. "I'll tell Chi-chan."

"Hai, hai, I got it." Takechiro gives up on ruffling her hair and takes a seat before noting her injuries, "But still though, what really happened to you? You look beat up! Did you get into one of your accidents again?" Suzuki notes, taking his seat at the head of the table and pulling out a large notepad.

"We can't help it, can we~ Kumi-chan is a danger magnet~"

A female's voice called out from the outside as she made her way into the club room. Eri Akane a tall, blonde haired 2nd year, entered the room and she sat down next to Kumiko, offering her a bright smile as she also ruffled her hair.

"Eri-senpai, you too?"Kumiko almost groaned in a hushed voice, earning a laugh from the upperclassmen in the room. Soon, the other club members arrived and Suzuki called the meeting to order.

A few minutes later, after he had drawn up a sample lay-out on the whiteboard, he pulled out a circular chalk box from under the desk and placed it on the table, earning a confused look from the other club members.

"Senpai, what's this box for?" Eri voices out and Takechiro only grinned as he stood up and opened the box. Inside nestled various colored papers rolled up and were mixed up.

"Since it's too much of a pain to try to fuss over who should write what, here's the drill. Just pick out a paper and unfold it. Inside, you'll find the topic you'll be writing about." Suzuki explains enthusiastically to his club members who reacted in various ways. "Of course, there's a range of genres and topics so I'm sure whatever you'll pick out will be an interesting experiment for you."

Kumiko eyes the box warily and sighs. _Suzuki-senpai is just finding a way to save him the trouble._

Suzuki then taps the board to get everyone's attention. "Hai! Now let's start! Third-year writers get to pick first~" He playfully eyes Kumiko who sighed. "Our cutie kouhai will go last then~"

A few minutes passed and everyone seemed rather satisfied with the topics they chose and Kumiko was the only one who hasn't got a slip of paper. She walked over to the box which held a number of rolled-up papers, waiting to be chosen. Tentatively she reached in and drew out a plain white rolled paper. Gulping, she unfurled it and ran her eyes through her topic, only to drop it to the floor.

For across the plain paper, written in bold letters were the words: **Sports – Karasuno Boys' Volleyball Team.**


	4. Chapter 4

"Senpai…can I change—"

"No can do, Takigawa~ One pick is all you get!"

Takechiro immediately cuts off the complaint of the sulking female in front of him. He narrows his eyes at her and sighs. "What topic did you get anyway? I'm sure it's not **that** bad."

He picks up the paper and once he reads over the paper, he broke into a grin. "Well~ you picked up an interesting topic~ You know? They have some interesting recruits this year~ Truth is, I wanted to write this one, myself—"

"Then you swap with me then, senpai. You wanted to write this one anyway." Kumiko retorted back, cutting off the male's explanation.

"Ah, but that would be unfair to the others." Takechiro replies back casually. "Why won't you try writing that one? It'll help broaden your writer's perspective."

"But—" Kumiko tried to complain, but he hushed her when he raised a finger. "You'll enjoy it, Takigawa. Trust me. Plus, you can be excused for classes when you watch their official games, you know~ Don't you want that?"

"I'd rather want—"

"Hai~ So that's it! Meeting dismissed~ Turn in your write-ups by the last week of next month. Happy writing, everyone!"

Again, poor Kumiko was cut off when Takechiro declared the meeting finished. Kumiko slumped her shoulders, utterly defeated. Eri placed a reassuring hand on the younger girl's shoulder, offering her a kind smile.

"Cheer up, Kumi-chan~ It won't be that bad~" Eri tried encouraging her but Kumiko only sighed for the nth time that day and sluggishly went to retrieve her things from the baggage counter.

"Hai…I hope…" Kumiko mutters and Eri just gaped at her profile as the younger girl turned towards them and bowed. "I'll be off then. See you soon, senpais."

"Anou. Take-kun, will she be alright?" Eri couldn't help but ask the grinning male on the side.

"She'll be fine~ Someday, she'll even thank me for this~" Takechiro replies back and Eri couldn't help but wonder whatever the hell that means.

* * *

The next day, a cloud of depression was hanging over Kumiko as she sluggishly trudged the way going to the gym where the volleyball players were having practice. Chiharu tagged along, since the soccer field was just a few blocks away

"Eh, so you're covering the volleyball club, Kumi-chan?" Chihaur asks the brunette as she was expertly spinning a soccer ball in one hand as she walked alongside Kumiko. "Why do you look so stressed about it?"

Kumiko sighed heavily before pulling out a smaller memo pad where most of her notes about volleyball were crammed. "I suck at sports, Chi-chan. Plus its volleyball! I only know some of the basic terms, but the rest is zero…"

 _Plus, this means I'll get to see Kageyama most of the time and I don't want that! That guy has a nasty glare!_ She added as an afterthought and gulped, nervousness settling in her body as they were going closer to their destination.

Chiharu only smiled at her friend before patting her good-naturedly at the back. "Don't worry, you'll be fine! You're good at blending in with people right? Just burst in their practice, shout your purpose and be done with it!"

Kumiko only stared, drops of swear gathering on her forehead. _Sometimes, I wish I had Chi-chan's confidence._

She sighed and then Chiharu stopped, pointing to the building in front of them. "Ah, we're here Kumi-chan!"

Kumiko found herself staring in front of the closed gym doors, the familiar sound of shoes squeaking against the floor and the occasional thump of the ball as well as yells and cheers. _It feels like forever, even though I only stopped here a few days ago._

"I'll have to go now, so I wish you luck—" Chiharu states as she was slowly heading to her soccer practice but Kumiko stopped her and grabbed her arm.

"Wait, wait, wait! I can't do it after all… Chi-chan, help me!" Kumiko was panicking and Chiharu only looked at her hopelessly.

"J-jaa…want me to open up the door for you?" The red-head suggested helpfully and without waiting for the brunette's response, Chiharu reached out for the handle. "Here I go~"

"W-w-wait, Chi-chan…!" Kumiko tried to stop her, but the gym doors slid open before she could protest.

The guys immediately stopped to look at the newcomers and Kumiko squeaked and tried to hide behind Chiharu's figure, but turns out the girl already went off and disappeared to soccer practice.

 _Chi-chan, why…?_ Kumiko broods and she stiffened as she felt everyone's eyes on her, scrutinizing her from head to toe.

Kageyama glared at her as she stepped in, and Kumiko gulped. She was about to walk across towards the bench when suddenly out of nowhere, Nishinoya and Tanaka jumped at her, scaring her to bits.

"TAKIGAWA-SAN~ YOU CAME TO SEE US~?" They yelled together, aiming to lunge at her but Kumiko dodged them, stepping aside, making the two plant both of their faces at the wall behind her.

"Oi, you two. Don't hurt yourselves!" Daichi comes and scolds the two before smiling apologetically to the brunette. "Sorry about Tanaka and Nishinoya."

"A-ah, it's okay…" Kumiko replies and Daichi laughs. "So, what brings you here today? Takigawa-san, was it?"

"Anou… O-our club president wanted to take coverage of the volleyball team's practices and official games, and I'm the one a-assigned. I al-already asked for permission with T-takeda-sensei and he told me to show th-these to you and C-coach Ukai." Kumiko explains, stuttering, as the captain scanned the papers she handed out to him.

"Maa, I particularly don't mind as long as it doesn't disrupt practice." He explains and handed it back to her after he signed it. Kumiko bowed in thanks. "I'll be in your care starting today then."

"Glad to have you on board, then. We're looking forward to working with you, too." Daichi asserts her. "Ah, Shimizu! Come here for a sec!"

The lady manager of Karasuno's volleyball team looked over to their direction, and she only raised an eyebrow. "What is it?"

"Takigawa-san here wants to cover the volleyball club. Can you take care of her?" Daichi replies and Kiyoko only nods in affirmation.

"Oh, thanks. Well, I'll be going back to practice." The captain immediately turns back and returns back to the court, exchanging serves and receives with the people from the other side.

Kiyoko turned to the brunette and called her attention. "You're Takigawa-san, right? Is your face okay?"

Kumiko turns to her and bows awkwardly. "I…I am. I mean…my face is okay now, senpai. Thank you very much for your help the other day…I'm in your debt."

"It's okay, you don't have to bow that much." Kiyoko asserts the younger girl who immediately went back to a standing position, her features relaxing slightly.

Kiyoko smiled at the younger girl. "Don't worry. I may not know much about the sport itself, but I'll try to help you out. So, relax, okay?"

Kumiko couldn't help but smile back bashfully and nodded. "H-hai! I'll be counting on you then, Shimizu-senpai."

The boys on the court only observed the two girls who were now having a pleasant conversation. Tanaka and Nishinoya in particular, were the ones over the moon in happiness.

"Ah~ Kiyoko-san smiled…" They murmured in bliss as the two girls were now laughing off at something Kumiko told Shimizu about. "This…this is the sanctity of Karasuno…."

"Oi, you two. Stop slacking off in the middle of practice!" Daichi snaps the two back to reality and they immediately went back to practice mode.

Kageyama kept an eye on the brunette as he was tossing to Hinata. Once in a while, she would catch his eye, but would turn away after their gazes met. Kageyama couldn't help but wonder why and he was getting frustrated every time she did that.

"Kageyama! What the hell are you spacing out for? The ball's heading your way, idiot!"

He was preoccupied for a while now that Hinata's yells to him snapped him out of his reverie. True enough, the volleyball was heading his way and he regained back his momentum by tossing it to Tanaka who spiked it freely to the other side. "Nice kill, Tanaka-san!"

"Man! You could have tossed it to me! What got you all spacey?" Hinata complains as soon as the rotation shifted. Kageyama only glared at him.

"Shut up, you dumbass. It's got nothing to do with you." He fires back to the shorter male and took a deep breath. _Tch. Focus, Tobio. Focus._

* * *

"So the interesting first-year students were Kageyama-san and Hinata-san, I presume?" Kumiko notes as she sat near the bench, taking notes.

Kiyoko turned to her and nodded. "Yes. Those two don't get along…but surprisingly…" She turned her head to the court, making Kumiko look over as well.

At that time, Kageyama tossed to Hinata, and in the moment that the ball hit the spiker's hand, the ball was off to the other court, marking its spot.

"YOSH!" The two yelled, synchronized and Kumiko only blinked, her mind processing what the hell actually happened.

 _Wh-what happened…? That was fast…!_

"…those two work well together, don't they?" Kiyoko notes and smiles at the speechless girl.

"S-senpai…what…what was that?" Kumiko couldn't help but ask in amazement.

Kiyoko only smiled as she replied. "That's their signature move." She shifted her gaze back to the court as she spoke the next words, "Impressive isn't it?"

Kumikoonly nodded in amazement, but soon recovered, dropping her pen inside her bag and stood up, carrying her video camera in one hand. " An…anou….I think I'll shoot some practice footage. I'll just go up the bleachers for a better vantage point."

Kiyoko only looked at her worriedly. "Are you sure? I'll go with you—"

"I'll be okay, senpai!" Kumiko assures her and went away to ascend the ladder towards the bleachers. She pulled out the camera and with a few clicks, she got it working.

Zooming in on the players down her, Kumiko captured their practice which was mostly tosses, receives and block-follows. After a good hour of footage and a dozen more notes on her notepad, practice for that day was finally called off and she descended the stairs.

"Oh, Kumiko-san. You're here today?" Sugawara acknowledged her as soon as she departed from the stairs.

Kumiko nodded once. "Uhm, yes. I've got to work on an article regarding your club. I hope I'm not bothering your practices."

"Not at all~ We're actually surprised that the newspaper club decided to cover us." Sugawara laughed it off and Kumiko relaxed in his presence, smiling a little.

"The president was actually ecstatic to cover the volleyball club." Kumiko replied. _Mostly because of the new recruits._ She added as an afterthought.

"Is that so?" Sugawara then smiled before his face turned into a serious one. "How about your injuries? Are they okay?" He crossed the distance between the two of them and surveyed her face, causing the girl to blush furiously.

"Ah, t-they're r-recovering! Th-thank you for y-your c-concern, Su-sugawara-senpai!"Kumiko stuttered out, flustered at the close contact, backing slightly into the wall.

"Sure, be the hunk, why don't you, Suga?" Daichi calls out to the silver-haired male, who blushed at the teasing. "Shut up, Daichi!"

Kumiko took a deep breath as she stuffed her things into her bag. Everyone was now helping out with cleaning up the gym. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw someone struggling with the cart of volleyball equipment so she jogged over, eager to help.

"Please let me help you out with that." She remarked to the person behind the cart who was busy picking up the other balls.

"Ah, that would be great, thanks—geh."

Kageyama stopped short of his reply when he saw the girl from the other day—the girl he hit with a volleyball- help him out with the other equipment. Apparently, she got surprised that it was him and her eyes rounded, panicked.

"A-ah! I'm…I'm so-sorry!" She squeaked and Kageyama only noticed that he was probably glaring at her again.

"Tch. Stop apologizing all the time, stupid…" He mutters under his breath and Kumiko, apparently heard it, jolted again. "O-okay…"

She helped him load all the balls into the cart and he pushed it towards the stockroom, while she only looked at him uneasily through the distance. He took the time to survey her face, and almost felt guilty for the yellowing bruise on her face, and the heavy-framed glasses she were using as a replacement.

"O-oi."Kageyama called out to her and Kumiko only jumped. "H-hai?"

"A-about your f-face. I'm…I'm really…sorry…" Kageyama mutters the last word almost inaudibly and Kumiko blinked first before a smile ghosted upon her lips.

"It's okay. It'll get better. You already apologized for it, Kageyama-san." She replied and Kageyama turned to face her, his eyes wide, and then blushed furiously.

"O-oh. It's all sorted out, then…" He murmurs, averting his gaze to the side, clearly embarrassed. Kumiko then sighed in relief, glad to clear it up. Without a second thought, she jogged towards him and held out a only looked at her, puzzled at her actions.

"We haven't been properly introduced to each other, haven't we?" Kumiko started and she grinned at him. "Nice to meet you. I'm TakigawaKumiko."

Kageyama took a double-take at her outstretched hand and her beaming face. "K-kageyamaTobio. S-same here, I guess." He introduces himself hastily, as he stretched out his hand as well, gripping hers.

He paused for a moment, basking in the softness and the warmth of her dainty palms, the size that almost fit perfectly with his own hands-

"Uhm, Kageyama-san?" Kumiko's voice snapped him out of his thoughts. "You've been holding my hand for a while now…"

"Ah! So-sorry!" He splutters out, and immediately lets go, cheeks burning red in embarrassment. He then turns to point a finger at her direction. "L-listen! It's not as if I like to hold your h-hand or whatever, ok-okay?!"

Kageyama then fled the scene, leaving a very bewildered Kumiko behind.

 _Ah, there he goes…_ She thought and then lowered her gaze to her hand … _but…_

A ghost of a smile appeared on her face as she surveyed his figure into the distance, his cheeks growing red as he argued with Tsukishima and Hinata who were apparently teasing him.

 _He's not such a bad person, after all._


	5. Chapter 5

From that point on, it was safe to assume that Takigawa Kumiko and Kageyama Tobio had become closer.

She would usually exchange greetings with the male or ask for his opinions during volleyball practice. It took a while, but they gradually came together and became friends.

"Good morning, Kageyama-kun."

Kageyama stared back at the brunette who gave him a small smile and a wave before taking her seat in front of him.

"Oh. Osu." He remarks back as he rested his head on his desk. Kumiko turned to him with a bewildered look on her face. "Anou, what's wrong? You look sleepy than usual." She noted as she turned her position so that she was facing him.

"Ah. I was up practicing tosses early this morning." Kageyama mumbles into his desk and Kumiko only smiled wryly at his profile.

"Practicing is all well and good, but don't overwork yourself." She reminds and Kageyama lifts his head up and glared at her.

"Are you my mom?" He asks and Kumiko only irritably responded by flicking him playfully across the forehead, making the male flinch in pain. "That hurt! What the hell, Takigawa?"

"You don't have time to get sick, right?" Kumiko responded. "Take more care of yourself."

"Back at you, idiot. You couldn't even last a week without getting hurt—ow!"

"Hai~ that's enough bickering for today, lovebirds."

Kageyama didn't even manage to finish his retort when Chiharucame to their table, gently bopping Kageyama's head with a rolled newspaper, grinning openly. Kageyama only scowled at the red-head.

"Mind your own business, Suzuki." He growls in annoyance and Kumiko only laughs awkwardly at this sight.

"Hoh?" The red-head murmurs then smiled teasingly. "You're probably mad because I interrupted your precious time with my best friend?"

Kageyama glared at Chiharu, a tint of red blossoming on his cheeks. "I'm—I—gah! Shut up, idiot!"

Kumiko only looked on helplessly as Chiharu continued on teasing the male who was countering back with a red blush on his cheeks, not stopping until the homeroom teacher stepped in and promptly scolded the two for causing a ruckus early in the morning.

* * *

Classes went smoothly for that day and when the last bell rang, Kageyama stood up from his seat, shouldering his bag and calling over his shoulder. "I'll be going ahead."

"O-okay…" Kumiko called out and faced Chiharu who had a funny look on her face."Wh-what is it, Chi-chan…?"

"Neh, Kumi-chan~" The red-head starts, grinning at the brunette who was now packing up her things.

"What?" Kumiko responds, busy shoving her books into her bag and pulling out a small piece of paper from her pockets.

"You and Kageyama-kun have been getting awfully close lately." She notes, making Kumiko jump and she took off her glasses, absent-mindedly rubbing her shirttail against the lens.

"Y-y-you think so~?" She stutters out, making Chiharu laugh out loud.

"Anyone could see for themselves, you know~" Chiharu replies as she playfully nudges her shoulder against the brunette's. "Should I be expecting a romantic development soon~?"

"R-ro-rom-romantic…?!" Kumiko's face bloomed a red color, as she exclaimed, "K-K-K-Kageyama-kun and I…are just…just friends…!" Kumiko stuttered out.

"Eh~" Chiharu notes and stepped away, carrying her bag and flashing a knowing grin towards Kumiko's direction. "So that's how it is, I see~"

"Whaa-Chi-chan!" Kumiko fires back, face turning red due to embarrassment, earning another fit of giggles from Chiharu. "Geez! I'm going ahead to the gym first!"

"Trying to avoid the topic, Kumi-chan~?"

"S-shut up!"

* * *

Kumiko sighed as she stretched out her arms, done with today's footage and was currently assessing her notes. Satisfied, she shoved it back to her bag and started to help out Kiyoko with putting things back in order.

"Hey, Daichi-san! We're doing it again this year, don't we? Training camp!"Nishinoya piped out from the corner and Kumiko's ears perked up at the topic.

"Training camp?" Kumiko couldn't help but ask.

"Well, we couldn't exactly afford to slack off on training since the tournament's coming soon." Sugawara was the one who answered for her followed by an affirmative nod from the rest of the team.

"Suga's right." Daichi replies and then his eyes brightened as he thought of an idea. "That's right. Won't you come along? Shimizu could use some extra help."

Kumikopondered the question over before turning back to face the volleyball club captain.

"I don't really mind. I'm free after all." She nods in affirmation. An exclamation of glee came from Nishinoya and Tanaka, surprising the brunette.

"YOSHH! I'm getting fired up now!" Tanaka and Nishinoya chimed in together and Kumiko had to step away, if not for Sugawara and Daichi who held the two hormone-addled boys back.

"Oi you lot! Enough chit-chat over there and start cleaning the gym!" Coach Ukai called out from the other side of the gym and everyone sprang into action. Kumiko, as usual, helped out Kageyama and Hinata with mopping the floor.

As soon as they were done, Kageyama stayed behind, observing her before he cleared his throat, catching her attention.

"Hey."

Kumiko turned to him. "Hmm?" She asks as she carefully sorted out the rags and mops in the storage room.

"Y-yo-T-Training camp. Y-you're r-really c-coming…?" He stutters out with a tint of red in his cheeks and Kumiko only blinked, before relaxing into a smile.

"Oh, yes." She replies and then continued on sorting out the other cleaning supplies. "Why do you ask, Kageyama-kun?"

"N-No-nothing really! I…I was just…!" Kageyama stutters out before continuing on the rest of the sentence in a hushed tone, "…it's just when you're here…I get ….really….excited…"

"Eh?" Kumiko turned to him, and faced him with a questioning expression. "Come again? I didn't quite hear what you said…"

Kageyama gaped at her then his cheeks blossomed into a fine shade of red, once again. "It..it was nothing! F-forget it!"

Without a warning, he turned away from her, leaving a very bewildered Kumiko behind.

"What…what's with him?" She asks herself before shaking it off. "Ah, whatever. He must be in one of his moods again."


	6. Chapter 6

_"Hinata, you dumbass! That came up straight to you from the front!"_

 _"Sh-shut up, Kageyama! I'm just warming up!"_

 _"Warming up!? That's the 10th receive you messed up today!"_

 _"I'LL GET THE NEXT ONE FOR SURE! KORRAAAAA!"_

* * *

"I feel sorry for Hinata-kun." Kumiko bemuses as she sought shelter under the umbrella the guys set up for her and Kiyoko. The team was currently practicing volleyball on the beach, to be able to improve their balance, and was making quite a ruckus as usual. The blistering heat of the sun was beating down on them but they still continued.

"Ah, but he's already used to it." Kiyoko replies as she sets up the cooler for the drinks. Kumiko notices and immediately offered a hand.

"Senpai, let me help you with that." She says and Kiyoko lets her. "We sure brought a lot of sports drinks."

"Ah, they need it later, you'll see." Kiyoko calmly explains and adjusts her glasses. Kumiko looks up, just in time to see Coach Ukai dismiss the first half of practice.

Almost immediately, the boys stormed towards their direction and attacked the cooler. Kumiko watched in silent awe as the cooler which was once full with drinks, was emptied in an instant.

"Kiyoko-san! You look beautiful as always today!"

Nishinoya praises Kiyoko, the black-haired girl ignoring him as usual. Kumiko stops and observes Kiyoko for a while, a bit envious of how stunning Kiyoko looks even in a plain tshirt and jogging pants.

She looked down on her own outfit and sighs: she was wearing an over-sized t-shirt over a pair of khaki shorts that went down past her knees, a pair of flip-flops on her feet. A camera was dangling from her neck that was actually not in use for a while.

"Oh, that's right. I should take pictures." Kumiko remembered and turned around, only to be welcomed by the sight of the boys stripping their shirts off.

"Y-y-y-y-y-you're g-going t-t-t-to s-s-s-s-strip-!" She stuttered out, face steadily going red due to the exposure but Kiyoko tapped her shoulder.

"You'll get used to it. Calm down, Takigawa-san." Kiyoko assures the younger girl but Kumiko already had her palms covering her eyes.

"I'm…I'm…I'm not yet ready…!" She mumbles, and Kiyoko only sighs. The boys already were on the process in changing into new shirts so that small exposure of skin was nothing.

"Maa, don't worry. They're all wearing shirts now. You can look."

Hesitantly, Kumiko took her hands away from her eyes and sighed in relief. Her eyes unconsciously followed Kageyama's form as he walked back towards the net. There was something about him that immediately drew her attention. His body form was well-built, the results of a few years' training on volleyball. His shirt and his volleyball shorts also hugged the right places in his body, leaving her to wonder if he had abs-

 _Oh, god. I sound like a pervert._ Kumiko berates herself and forced herself to turn away, blushing furiously.

* * *

The day passed by quickly, and almost everyone stormed towards the rest house, eager to get some rest and to shower. Kiyoko already went home, stating that her home was just near the place, so it was only Kumiko that decided to stay the night. She decided to help out with the meals so she helped prepare that night's supper.

"Waaah! Tonight's dinner looks delicious! Takigawa, did you cook this?"

Hinata bursted in the dining room and happily praised the meals that Kumiko prepared. She brought over the bowls of miso soup, the last dish she was cooking and nodded to Hinata's question.

The other members of the team immediately went and sat down soon after, appreciating the meal. Soon after Coach Ukai gave the go signal, everyone was scarfing food down their throats.

"Woah! This tastes really good!"

"You're right! It's really delicious, Takigawa-san!"

Kumiko blushed shyly as almost everyone complimented her for the meal. "Ah-anou…Thank you…"

Kageyama kept quiet the whole time he was eating and Tsukishima took this as an opportunity to tease him.

"Ah~ Takigawa-san's cooking sure wants you to take her as your own bride, am I right, King?" Tsukisihima taunts and being the massive tsundere that he is, Kageyama immediately blushes bright read and violently denies.

"HAH?! Whose bride?! Why would I? The food—"

"Anou, is the food not to your liking, Kageyama-kun?"

Before he could finish his outburst, he was cut off when Kumiko, who was in front of him asked him that question. He made a double-take at her face, and averted his gaze to the side, blushing slightly.

"I-it's good…" He mumbled under his breath, and he was rewarded by a smile from the girl, making his face go redder.

"Oh~ Kageyama's blushing~" Hinata teased, making a few tick marks appear on the setter's forehead.

"I AM NOT, YOU DUMBASS!"

"But your face is red! Ain't that called blushing?"

"Shut up! Mind your own business!"

* * *

A few minutes later, everyone was full and were currently using the showers, preparing for bed. Kumiko was still up and checking out the drinks in the fridge, making sure that it was enough for everyone.

"Oh. I don't think these will last for tomorrow. We better restock." She muses and closes the fridge. At that moment, Takeda-sensei stepped in the kitchen.

"Takigawa-san, you should rest up a bit. Today must be pretty hard on you." He reminded her as he approached the fridge to obtain bottled water.

"I'll be resting up as soon as I finish making a quick trip to the convenience store, sensei." Kumiko points out to the sports drinks and bottled water stored in the fridge. "We're running low on drinks, so I'll just go and buy some more."

"Ah, is that so? Well, here." Takeda-sensei digs up a few bills and places it on the girl's hands. "You can go and buy some using that. I'll ask the boys to go and accompany—"

"Ah, no need sensei. It's fine!" Kumiko immediately denies. "They're probably tired after today's practice. I'll be fine! It's near and I'll go back as soon as I'm finished."

"Is that so…?" Takeda-sensei replies and then sighs. "Okay, but come back soon okay? You're a girl and its night…"

"Mhm. Okay. I'll be right back." Kumiko replies and exits the kitchen, and headed straight to the exit.

* * *

"Let's see...one, two….yosh. 15 bottles of sports drinks and bottled water. This should be enough." Kumiko nods to herself as she counted the bottles in her plastic bags and heaved. It was quite the weight, but she could manage.

The trip to the convenience store took her longer than she expected because she had to ask for directions towards her direction. She took a look at her watch as she exited the store, panicking a little.

"I didn't know it was this late already! I better hurry-oof!"

She stopped her sentence short when she collided with a bigger figure, and she looked up to apologize, only to shrink back in fright as it was a group of three guys she bumped into. A guy with blonde-dyed hair, the one she ran into gave her a glare, and looked down on her.

"Oi, you think your sorry is gonna cut it, woman? What if you broke my arm or something? Hah?!"

"I-I'm s-sorry!" Kumiko squeaked in fright, hoping she could run away, but the other two had surrounded her, a maniacal grin on their faces.

"But on the other hand, you could apologize in another way…" The other guy grabbed her arm and gave her a perverted grin. Kumiko gasped in fright as she tried to pull her hand away.

"Please let go of me! I need to go somewhere—"

"Ey~ Let's have some fun first, cutie."

"We won't hurt you~"

The other two were already grabbing her other arm, trapping her. Kumiko closed her eyes in fright.

 _Somebody…please save me!_

* * *

"Tch. Why did they run out of yoghurt drinks? I had to come out in the middle of the night."

Kageyama was muttering to himself as he exited the convenience store, sipping on the drink he brought while he strode to the way back to the training camp. However he stops when he hears muffled voices near the alleyway.

" _Please let go of me! I need to go somewhere—"_

He tensed up, finishing the last of his drink. _Takigawa?_

" _Ey~ Let's have some fun first, cutie~"_

" _We won't hurt you~"_

Two other voices, this time that of a man's reached his ears and made him irritated. Without a second thought, he rushed to the scene, only to see the girl being surrounded by three men, obviously having malicious intentions towards her.

Gritting his teeth, he strode towards the scene and yelled. "Oi! She told you to let her go, didn't she?"

* * *

" _Oi! She told you to let her go, didn't she?"_

Kageyama's familiar voice reached her ears and when Kumiko opened her eyes, it was indeed him, his figure just a few meters away from her. He was glaring intensely at the guys who held her captive.

"Hah? Who are you to talk back like that? You're not from here, aren't you?" The blonde-guy was confronting Kageyama, and Kumiko was thankful that his other two buddies let go of her. She turned, suddenly frightful for Kageyama, hoping he won't start a fight.

"That's right. Why? Who the hell are you? Are you the boyfriend?" One of the blonde's friends asked.

"So? What's it to you? She told you to let her go, so let her go." Kageyama's tone was getting dangerous now. The other three started backing away in fright, for Kageyama's aura was getting threatening by the second.

"If you know what's good for you, you leave right now or you're going to really get it." Kageyama continued, his eyes glaring at the three. "Scram."

The three, apparently not looking for a fight, retreated like obedient puppies. "Tch. Let's just go."

Kageyama kept glaring at them and as soon as their figures faded away, he turned to face Kumiko.

"Oi, are you okay—"

He wasn't able to finish his sentence, because Kumiko latched into his arms, her hands wrapped around his torso, and her face buried in the front of his shirt. The male immediately tensed, his face blushing, but he noticed something off about her.

"You're trembling…Are you okay?" He asks as Kumiko only nodded meekly in reply. The two stayed like that for a moment, before Kumiko realized what was happening and hastily released herself from their embrace.

"O-oh. I didn't mean to s-startle you, K-kageyama-kun…S-sorry." She replied, avoiding looking at him in the eye, aware that her face was probably burning in embarrassment right now.

"I-it's…fine…" The male replied, before his gaze dropped to her groceries. "You need help with that?"

He was desperate to change the topic and to clear their awkwardness. Kumiko blinked. "O-oh…I don't particularly—"

"Idiot. Give them to me. You couldn't bring them all by yourself." Kageyama interrupted her and reached out to grab the plastic bag out of her hands, his own hand brushing against hers momentarily.

Both of them jumped at the contact.

"S-sorry."Kageyama apologized hastily and went ahead of her. "Let's go back…th-they're going to be worried."

"Th-that's right…" Kumiko answered and she fell into pace with him. The two shared an awkward silence along the way back, but the brunette decided to break the ice.

"Ka-kageyama-kun…anou…" She starts, and the male stops momentarily, his eyes fixed on hers.

"What is it…?" He asks, his voice laced with uncharacteristic gentleness.

"Back then…thank you…for helping me out…" Kumiko states and gripped the plastic bag handle tight. "If…if you hadn't come…I don't know…what would…happen."

Kageyama stares at her figure before lightly knocking her forehead with a fist. "You really are an idiot for going out without a companion in the middle of the night."

Kumiko winced slightly and looked at him. "So you were worried for me after all?"

The question brought another blush to Kageyama's face and he abruptly turns back, his footsteps pacing more than the usual.

"Wh-who was?! I only…I only happened to be there! It-it was o-only coincidence!" He stutters. "B-besides!I..was only there to grab a yogurt drink since there wasn't any left!"

He faced her and pointed a finger in her direction. "Listen! I didn't do it because I have—" He stops short, leaving his sentence unsaid and blushing furiously.

"Eh? What do you—" Kumiko replies, but he turns back again.

"Aagh-! Forget it. Let's go home, idiot!" He calls out from his shoulder and Kumiko only tilted her head in confusion.

"What the heck was that all about? Geez!" She mutters under her breath, and panicked when he was getting ahead of her. "W-waaah! K-kageyama-kun! Wait up!"

* * *

 _Slowly, gently, little by little._

 _It was only one step at a time but….._

 _They were getting closer to one another._


	7. Chapter 7

"Do you two know what time it is?"

As soon as Kumiko and Kageyama stepped foot into the threshold of the guest house, both Coach Ukai and Takeda-sensei were waiting for them, arms crossed in front of their chests, a stern look on their eyes.

Kumiko forced to swallow the lump in her throat and slowly gazed at the wall clock on the wall next to them and squeaked out her answer, "It's 9:45 in the evening—"

"Exactly!" Coach Ukai exploded and glared at the two of them. "What on earth took the two of you so long?"

Kumiko uneasily shared glances with Kageyama, whose midnight-blue irises reflected the same anxiety she felt, wheels spinning in their minds as to how to explain their late arrival.

"Well?" Coach Ukai pressed, and as Kumiko started to open her mouth to reply, Kageyama beat her to it.

"We got a little sidetracked on the way, Coach Ukai. Takeda-sensei." The raven-haired boy replied, and Takeda-sensei lifted an eyebrow in inquiry.

"By 'sidetracked', what do you mean?" The teacher asked, turning his gaze on the brunette who flinched uneasily.

"Uhm…what we mean is that—" Kumiko started to explain, but was cut off when Coach Ukai flashed them a knowing grin.

"Ah. You two went out on a date?" The blonde remarks, and at the sound of the word 'date', Kumiko's and Kageyama's faces bloomed into a dark shade of red.

"It..it wasn't something like…like that! We…we just bumped into each other…!" Kageyama splutters out, turning to face the blushing female right next to him. "Right, Takigawa?"

"E-e-e-ehh?!Ahh…Yep! We just bumped into each other at the c-convenience store!", waving her hands to further emphasize her point. "Coincidence! It was mere coincidence!"

"Psht. With the way you two are denying it, it does seem suspicious." Coach Ukai snorted but then grinned and turned away, dismissing the two. "Well, at least you two got back safe. Rest up now and be alert for tomorrow's practice match."

As soon as Coach Ukai disappeared from view, Takeda-sensei sighed and gave the two of them a small smile. "I hope this won't happen again, you two."

Both Kumiko and Kageyama nodded their heads simultaneously.

"Very well then. Good night."

"Yes! Thank you, Takeda-sensei." The two bowed as the volleyball club adviser retired to his quarters.

As soon as the tense atmosphere was lifted, the two sighed in relief, and shared an awkward eye-to-eye gaze.

Cue again to another awkward moment of silence.

Clearing his throat, Kageyama took the initiative to break the tension.

"I-I'll go ahead then."

"Uhm-! Ple-please wait a moment, Kageyama-kun!"

Kageyama was about to head to his room, until Kumiko's voice stopped him in his tracks.

"What?"

He gazed back and saw that the girl was looking bashfully at his direction, her brown eyes huge behind her glasses' frames as her cheeks colored.

"Th-The thing is…" Kumiko starts, bumbling over her words and clenching her fists to regain her composure, "…please let me repay you for saving me today!"

Kageyama, registering what she just said, , then twice. He heaved a sigh before voicing his dissent.

"No need—"

Before he finishes his reply, Kumiko had grabbed him by his arm, pulling him close to her as she looked up to his eyes.

"Oi, Takigawa—"

"I insist!"

He found himself staring into those brown, earnest eyes of hers. Her cheeks were coloring as she talked but she tried her best to maintain eye contact.

 _Kageyama found it hard to look away._

After a few moments in that induced trance, he regained his composure and the blood rose to his cheeks. Pushing her arm off his, Kageyama sighs rather harshly before turning away to the other direction.

"Tsk. It can't be helped then!" He spats out, embarrassed. He turns back to look at her, and was just stopped when he caught a glimpse of one of her rare wide smiles.

"Re-really?"Kumiko gushes out and Kageyama became suddenly conscious of the heartbeat that was pounding hard against his chest.

"Y-you insisted, dumbass!" He barks back and then she smiled once again, sending his thoughts in a frenzy.

"Th-then, what do you want me to do for you?" Kumiko asks, taking Kageyama by surprise again.

"Wh-what I want…?" Kageyama asks haltingly, and Kumiko just nodded as if to answer his question.

"Th-then…" He starts, and gazed seriously into her eyes. "… _call me by my first name_."

Kumiko flinches slightly by his sudden request, and she gazes back into his eyes while her lips slowly stretch into a gentle smile.

" _Tobio-kun…?"_

He stops for a moment, frozen stiff at the sound of his name coming out of her lips.

"Pfft. Ahahaha!"

The sound of Kumiko's laughs snapped Kageyama out of his momentary trance.

"W-Why are you laughing, all of a sudden?" Kageyama asks and Kumiko shakes her head as she attempted to quell down her laughter.

Kumiko laughs slightly, snapping Kageyama out of his momentary trance.

"Ah, so that's it. With how serious you looked while thinking it over, I thought your request was gonna be a big one."

Kageyama scowled. "Why? You got a problem with that?"

Kumiko shakes her head in dissent. "Mhm-hm. Not at all." She stops for a moment and then tilts her head as if an idea came up. She nods and faces Kageyama with resolve in her eyes.

"Well, if I'm going to call you by your first name, then you call me by my first name too."

Kageyama steps back, surprised by her sudden move. "Wh-what?! Why?"

"Eh?" Kumiko blinks then grins. "Well, isn't it natural?"

Kageyama purses his lips before taking a breath. He averted his eyes from her figure, a fierce blush making its way to the tips of his ears and clumsily stuttered out her name.

"F-fine then…K-K-K…"

He stops and turns to face her once again—that gentle smile on her face as she awaited his response. Kageyama took a gulp before whispering softly…

" _K-kumiko…"_


	8. Chapter 8

Just like a breeze, the week-long training camp of the Karasuno volleyball team ended.

Everyone went back to classes as usual, and today was no different.

Regaining her breath as she slid the classroom door open, Kumiko made the first steps inside just as the first bell rang.

Chiharu looked up from her seat and waved at the brunette who just arrived.

"It's rare for you to be late, Kumi-chan!"

Kumiko only lets out a deep sigh as she takes her seat as she placed her bag under her desk.

"I woke up late." The brunette breathes out before hastily adding, "…and I burnt myself making breakfast but ended up spilling the tea all over my uniform so I had to change again."

At her friend's tale, Chiharu bursts out laughing. "Typical of you then, Kumi-chan!" She grins and slings an arm around the brunette's shoulders. "The forever klutz~"

Pouting, Kumiko scowls at the redhead. "Geez. You don't have to rub it in."

Patting Kumiko's head, Chiharu simply grins before tilting her head to the side to ask her question.

"Come to think of it, how was the volleyball team's training camp?" Chiharu eases herself back into her seat. "You were helping out there right?"

Her friend's question brought an unexpected blush to appear on Kumiko's cheeks and she politely averted her gaze from her friend's questioning glance.

"N-nothing interesting happened…" Kumiko trails off as she fiddled with the ends of her hair—a habit of hers that indicated her anxiety to change the subject.

Chiharu's quick eyes zoomed in on that little action and then a Cheshire cat grin spread on her lips.

"So something **did** happen, eh~"

A sudden jolt of Kumiko's shoulders further strengthened Chiharu's hypothesis and the redhead shook the poor brunette's shoulders forcefully in excitement.

"Tell me everything!" Chiharu squealed as her eyes literally sparkled like diamonds. "Every juicy detail, spill it now!"

"W-wa-wa-wa-waaaaa!"Kumiko could only babble random syllables as her friend continued to shake her. Gathering up her strength, the brunette struggled, but managed to hold Chiharu's arms at bay.

"I get what you mean, but please!" Kumiko breathes out as she pouted at her friend. "Chi-chan! At least let me breathe!"

"Whoops, my bad." The redhead, realizing her mistake, backed up a bit. Leaning on her desk with her face propped up with a hand, she grinned. "Weellll~?"

The events of the previous week's camp flooded back into Kumiko's mind and her blush this time went up to the tips of her ears. "Uhm…for starters—"

 ** _"Osu."_**

Her statement was cut off when she heard a familiar voice from her back. Turning back, Kumiko was greeted by a sight of a newly-woken up Kageyama.

"O-o-osu! Sorry, did I wake you up, Tobio-kun?" Kumiko barely manages an apology as the raven-haired setter straightens his back and stretches his arms.

"Not really." Kageyama said, and with a tilt of the head he turns to face the brunette. "Say, Kumiko—"

 _ **"KUMIKO?!"**_

Kumiko and Kageyama both flinched back at the sudden exclamation from Chiharu. Gaping openly at the two, the redhead pointed a finger at the two.

"You two are on first-name basis now?" Chiharu utters disbelievingly, but it wasn't long until her expression of disbelief gave way to a smirk. "Ooooh. I think I get it~"

Being the dense blockhead that he is, Kageyama only scowled.

"Hah? What do you mean, Suzuki?"

Shrugging her shoulders, Chiharu clicked her tongue and wagged her finger. "I don't expect a dense moron like you to catch on quickly, Kageyama—"

"WHO'RE YOU CALLING A MORON—"

Ignoring Kageyama's violent interjection, Chiharu moved on. "You're dating each other, right?" Chiharu finished.

At Chiharu's speculations, Kageyama and Kumiko's faces now blossomed into a bright red color.

 _ **"NO!"**_

Almost immediately, the two denied it furiously. Chiharu blinked, but then snickered.

"Whoa. You two totally sync even in denying it, huh." The redhead remarks but then she was interrupted by a flurry of stammers from Kumiko.

"We-we-we-we're n-not dati-dating, Chi-chan!" The brunette was now panicking as she tried to explain the situation. "Can't f-f-friends call ea-each other by their first names?"

Her smirk unwavering, Chiharu presses on further. "Just 'friends'?"

"Th-that's right!" Kageyama interjects, "There's nothing wrong with addressing each other on a first-name basis!"

Raising an eyebrow, Chiharu stands back and fixes the two an intense stare before giving up.

"Well, whatever." The redhead dismisses but she fixes a sharp gaze at the raven-haired boy. "But I'm warning you Kageyama! If you hurt Kumi-chan, I'll pummel you!"

A few tick marks appeared now on Kageyama's forehead, but before he could bark a retort back, Kumiko intervened in his place.

"T-Tobio-kun may not look like it, but!" The brunette squeaks, surprising both Chiharu and Kageyama.

Taking a deep breath, Kumiko finished her sentence with a rare determination. "He's a really gentle person!"

Chiharu placed a hand on her mouth to muffle her squealing. Seized by a grip of emotion, she tackles Kumiko with a hug.

"Oh my god, my ship has sailed~!" The redhead sang out happily, confusing the hell out of poor Kumiko.

"Eh? Eh? What? What ship?" The flurry of questions came out from the brunette's mouth as her best friend continued hugging her tight and squealing to high heaven.

Realizing the implication of Kumiko's words, Kageyama's face even turned redder and he averted his gaze away from the two females.

His eyes trail to the figure of Kumiko, who catches his gaze. Kumiko smiles sheepishly at him, and Kageyama's heartbeat only skyrocketed.

 _What the hell was that supposed to mean?_ He wonders furiously inside his head.

* * *

"Alright, get to your seats."

The excitement was only short-lived when Honda-sensei, the homeroom teacher, entered the room. Everyone went back to their seats, but continued on with the usual racket—typical of high school students.

"Simmer down, kids." Honda-sensei drawls out the next words in a monotone voice, clearly bored. "I have an important announcement to make."

Pulling out a notebook and a piece of chalk, the teacher spares a glance at the writing on the pages before proceeding to write on the board.

 **Agenda:**

 **Upcoming School Cultural Festival**

"Now as you all know, the school festival's coming up." Honda-sensei remarks as he dusted his palms off and faced the class. "This will last for two days and each class has to make a booth of their preference for this two-day event."

Placing his notebook back on the top of his desk, Honda-sensei turned to face his students that were now completely abuzz with excitement. "Who's the class representative again?"

"Here!" An arm immediately shot up in the air and a grinning blonde male rose up from his seat in the back.

"Oh, Yamada huh…" Honda-sensei spared a glance before motioning for him to come up front. "I'll leave the guidelines in your hands and give you this time to decide on a theme."

Making his way back to the entrance door, Honda –sensei turned back to his class. "Well then, discuss things right. Yamada, present me your class plan after this period." He pulled out a phone and slid the door open. "I have business to attend to at the moment, so please excuse me."

As the teacher left, Yamada went to the front desk and addressed his classmates.

"As Honda-sensei had said, we'll be planning for our class booth for the upcoming school festival." Looking expectantly at his classmates, Yamada then shot a query.

"Any suggestions?"

A few hands shot up and ideas were fired from almost everyone in the class. The classroom suddenly became a debate hall in just the few moments that the announcement was made.

" _I suggest we hold a strip rock-paper-scissors tournament!"_

" _What the hell is that stupid event? As a representative of the girls, we refuse to accept this!"_

" _Then suggest a better idea, then, Shiomi!"_

" _Shut up, stupid Kanou!…"_

Glancing at all the ruckus, Chiharu lowly whistled. "Whoa, they're really going at it."

Kumiko only shook her head and sighed. "It's this time of the year again, so everyone's really riled up, I guess."

Kageyama frowned. "It's all so fucking noisy …"

Chiharu laughed and then turned to her seatmates. "You may say that, but you two actually have some ideas of your own, right?"

"Not really." Both chorused at the same time. Kumiko tilted her head to gaze out of the window before releasing a heavy sigh.

"I'll probably be busy covering this event with the newspaper club anyways." The brunette whined. "I won't be able to participate much."

Chiharu nodded in understanding. "Well, you have a point. Aniki gets fired up with these kinds of events to cover."

* * *

On the other hand, Yamada, the class representative was already losing control of the situation in the classroom.

Suggestion after suggestion from each member of the class had been turned down and rejected—boys and girls both contradicting each other's ideas.

Yamada was internally panicking at the moment. _This is why I hate to be in a class position…!_

His eyes frantically searched the classroom, looking for other people who hadn't been able to voice out their opinions, all the while praying to the gods that someone will come up with a decent idea at that moment.

" _Then, why don't we do a cosplay café?"_

The whole class turned to see Chiharu raise her hands up, a cheeky grin on her face. "It's a good idea, right?"

Yamada praises the heavens and breathes a sigh of relief. _A decent idea! Hallelujiah!_

" _Now that you mentioned it, it does sound interesting…"_

" _Not to mention we can profit from it too."_

" _The costumes will be cute right?"_

Yamada clears his throat. "Well, then. Anyone in favor of Suzuki-san's suggestion?"

The answer was unanimous. Hands from the entire class shot up as everyone voted yes.

After homeroom, Kumiko only smiled at her friend who raised the suggestion. "Looks like everyone's hyped about your plan, Chi-chan."

Chiharu only grinned. "Every school festival has got to have one! And besidesssss….." The red-head flicked a teasing grin at Kageyama before turning to glomp the brunette next to her.

"I want to see Kumi-chan in a maid costumeee~! You will be totally cutee~!" Chiharu squealed before turning to Kageyama. "Am I right, Kageyama?"

At Chiharu's remark, Kageyama visibly flinched. Turning around with a fierce blush on his cheeks, he barks out violently, "HAH!? Why ask me of all people, Suzuki?!"

"Well, you looked like you probably wanted to see her wear one right?" Chiharu sneered, making Kageyama blush up to the tips of his ears.

Kumiko blinks her eyes owlishly, before fixing a questioning glance at the blushing setter.

 _Would Tobio-kun be really happy if I wore a maid outfit?_

As if to answer her question, Kageyama darts a quick glance at her. The mere possibility of Kumiko wearing a maid outfit was enough to spiral his thoughts. Her actually wearing it would probably send his heart into a heart attack.

 _B-but…I think she'll be cute…_

"See? I told you he really wants to see you in cosplay, Kumi-chaan~"

"SUZUKI, SHUT UP!"


	9. Chapter 9

" _I need help with the table utensils!"_

" _Can someone fetch that brush for me?"_

" _Oi, you guys! Is the café sign finished yet…?!"_

The entire classroom was abuzz with a flurry of activity that Friday, 3 days before the school festival.

In the past few days of hard work, the classroom had been slowly transforming into an adorable café. The class had decided that the theme was to be done in a homey style—color scheme mainly focusing on pastel colors.

At that moment, Kumiko and Chiharu were helping out with the table skirting—Chiharu passing the pins to the brunette as she designed the tables. Kageyama was out with the other guys, probably off to get some more tables for the classroom.

"Here you go, Kumi-chan." Chiharu hands out a thumbtack to the brunette who reaches out to grab it.

"Thanks, Chi-chan…" Kumiko mumbles. Biting her lower lip as she concentrated hard, she swiftly pinned the pastel blue cloth to the table. "This makes 5 done…"

Standing up, Kumiko stretched her arms up and gazed at the redhead. "How many more tables do we need to decorate, Chi-chan?"

The redhead tilts her head. "Hmm…Yamada said that the guys were off to fetch more tables, so I guess there's more to come."

Most of the girls volunteered to be in charge of the costumes—a job that required _sewing_ , which Kumiko was not fond of—while a group of guys were in charge of the lifting and other heavier work. The food was taken care by another group while the artists in class worked on the decorations and the café sign.

 _ **"Excuse me~ Is Takigawa in here~~?"**_

The sudden sound of a male's voice calling out from the class doorway. A redhead appears and the familiar figure of Suzuki Takechiro pokes out from the entrance.

"She's here—geh!" Chiharu turns to retort, and upon seeing the face of her older brother, she frowns. "It's you, baka-aniki!"

"Oi! Show more respect to your elders, sheesh!" Takechiro pouts, feigning a hurt expression. "My little sister is totally not cute at all~"

"Psht. Whatever." Chiharu rolls her eyes at her brother, resisting the urge to gag. A few seconds later, Kumiko trotted to their direction, glancing questionably at the sudden appearance of her newspaper club upperclassman.

"Suzuki-senpai?" The brunette acknowledges the presence of the male. "Why are you here? Did you need something?"

"Oh, you're here, good!" Takechiro grins before reaching out to pull Kumiko's right arm to go out of the classroom. "Could you step out for a bit? We need to talk."

Left with no choice, Kumiko only shrugged. "Alright. Only for a little while, okay?" She turns around to gesture at the busy state of the class. "I still need to help out with the café."

"Roger!" Takechiro salutes and Kumiko steps out of the classroom to follow him out.

* * *

"How's the volleyball article going?"

Takechiro fires this question as he and Kumiko stepped out of the school building. They were now at the school's botanical garden, memo pads and pens out as he inquired of the brunette's progress.

"It's not done yet, but it's gradually coming together, senpai." Flicking through the pages of her notes, Kumiko's eyes scanned over her articles. "I'll turn it in soon."

Takechiro sighs and nods in understanding. "I see." Glancing at the brunette, he only smiled at his underclassmen. "You know, Takigawa. There's something different about you now."

"Huh?" Confusion swimming in her brown eyes, Kumiko fixes a glance at the grinning Takechiro. "What do you mean?"

"Well, how to put it…" Takechiro places a hand under his chin. "Somehow…There's a sparkle of inspiration in your eyes ever since you took on this writing assignment."

"Eh?" Kumiko became more confused as ever. "I-I'm sorry…I'm not sure I'm following what you mean…"

"Never mind~!" Takechiro lets out a derisive snort of laughter before ruffling the brunette's hair affectionately. "It seems that spring has finally come for you, at last…"

He then turned his figure back, raising a hand to indicate dismissal. "That's all for now! I need to go back and help out my classmates so see you, Takigawa!"

Bewildered, Kumiko could only nod helplessly as she gazes at Takechiro's retreating back.

" _ **It seems that spring has finally come for you, at last…"**_

Takechiro's words were left ringing in her mind, and she couldn't help but ponder.

 _What the hell did Suzuki-senpai mean…?_

* * *

"I'm back…"

"Kumi-chan, I need to ask you for a favor!"

As soon as she went back to the classroom, Chiharu ran to the brunette. Kumiko could only look as her best friend whips out a piece of paper from her skirt. Chiharu extends it to Kumiko's direction and the brunette took it.

"A shopping list?" Kumiko glanced at the messy scrawl and looked back at Chiharu. "What do I do with this?"

"Could you make a run to the town for this stuff? The class rep asked me to and I'd do it myself but I need to help out with the soccer team after this." Chiharu claps her hands together and bows. "Please?"

Glancing at the wall clock in the classroom—4 o'clock in the afternoon, it reads—Kumiko pockets the list in her blazer before giving her friend a smile. "Fine. I'll go, I don't have any more activities anyway."

"Thanks! Ah, but you need someone to go with you. Those may be heavy…" Chiharu adds.

"But almost everyone left for their clubs already, and the remaining people are in charge of the interior, so who?" Kumiko asks.

Chiharu glances around the classroom for a while. Her sharp eyes took note of the particular figure of a raven-haired setter packing up his things in the corner of the room.

The redhead grinned deviously. "Leave that to me."

"Oiiii Kageyama!"

Kageyama raises his head up, only to be met with the grinning Chiharu. His eyes flick to the redhead's to see Kumiko following meekly from behind.

"Can you accompany Kumi-chan with shopping?" Chiharu asks, and smiles amusedly as the tips of Kageyama's ears turn red.

"HAH?! Why me?!" The raven-haired boy barks back rather loudly, Kumiko flinching at the tone of his voice. "I still have volleyball club practice—"

"Eyy, don't be an ass and do as I say, man." Chiharu drawled out, silently enjoying the male's flustered state.

"Uh…if Tobio-kun doesn't want to…then it's fine with me." Kumiko voices out meekly, fixing a sad smile at him. "I mean it's okay…"

Seeing her make such a face tugged at Kageyama's chest and he silently cursed. Running a hand through his hair, he turns his face to the side—a small blush making its way up his cheeks.

"Tch!" He clicks his tongue in annoyance before voicing out the next words quietly. "…fine. I'll come along."

"Eh?" Kumiko asks, failing to catch what Kageyama said. "Did you say something, Tobio-kun?"

"I said I'll go, you dumbass!" He exclaims before walking past her in long strides. "Stop spacing out and let's go."

Blinking at the male's response, Kumiko stuttered out a reply. "O-okay…ah, wait up Tobio-kun! You walk too fast…."

Chiharu could only look on, fangirling internally as the two went out. The truth is, she didn't have any more club activities for that day and just used it as an excuse to trigger a staple love-event between the two.

Such a sly, sly, girl.

* * *

"Spray-paints…pins…decorative tape…..crepe paper…" Kumiko ticks off the items on the shopping list Chiharu gave her and nods approvingly. "I think we got the last items covered."

"Fucking finally…" Kageyama breathes out. His hands held two grocery bags full of ingredients while Kumiko was holding one bag filled with school supplies. "I'm tired running around town."

"Well, we need to go back to school to leave these in the classroom…" Kumiko replies and her male companion only grunts in agreement.

The two started to go back, walking side by side. A comfortable silence had washed over the two of them, the only sound was their shoes on the pavement.

Kumiko, out of the corner of her eye, started to eye the boy walking beside her. Kageyama was staring ahead, his midnight-blue eyes calm as he walked.

 _This somehow feels nice…the two of us, walking together side by side…_ Kumiko thoughts but then suddenly stops. _Wait…doesn't this feel like a…like a date…?!_

A fierce blush was making its way across her cheeks and she shook her head rapidly, clearing her thoughts. _No, no, no… this is just running an errand…yeah! Nothing really special-_

"Oi, Kumiko. Are you okay? You're spacing out." Kageyama's voice suddenly breaks her train of thought.

Kumiko realizes this and turns to face him, only to jump back as his face was suddenly close. Shaking her hand, she nods vigorously. "Y-ye-yes! I'm okay—"

 _Grghhkkkkkkkk!_

A growl from her stomach suddenly interrupts her explanation, surprising the two of them.

Kumiko's face heats up in more embarrassment and she bows her head, keeping her eyes low to the ground. "I'm really sorry—"

"Do you want to grab a bite?"

Kageyama gently interrupts her flurry of apologies, and as Kumiko looked up, the rarest of smiles were gracing his face. At the sight of Kageyama's smile, her face heats up more and her heartbeat started thumping wildly against her chest.

 _It was so unfair that a few words or actions from him could send her to this state._

A few moments later, the two emerged from a taiyaki shop. Kumiko was happily munching on the pastry, savoring the sweet cream filling.

"This tastes so good…!" The brunette gushes out, a satisfied smile on her lips. "So yummy~~"

Kageyama only stares, amused, as the brunette continued scarfing down the treat. "You really eat like a kid, don't you know that?"

"Oh, shut up." Kumiko retorts back, continuing on eating. "I'm hungry!"

"Fine, fine." Kageyama mutters. Out of the corner of his eye, he watches as the girl happiky scarfs down the remainder of the pastry down her throat. Crumbs scattered around her mouth, and some leftover cream was smudged near her lips.

"You really eat like a kid." Kageyama repeats and Kumiko turns to him, glaring playfully at the male. She was about to open her mouth to retort, but stops when the male suddenly comes closer, close enough so their faces were only inches apart.

"Ka—what—"

 _Waah…he's so close…what do I do… waaah waahhh…_

Kumiko panicked inside her head as she felt her cheeks warm up again for the nth time that day.

"You have crumbs on your face, dumbass." Kageyama retorts, eyebrows furrowing. "And leftover cream near your lips, too. Sheesh." His hand reaches up to her face, thumbs brushing the cream away.

Suddenly he stops, as if realizing their position. Kageyama's eyes dart to her lips on impulse.

They looked soft, plump, and pink—looking as if they were begging to be kissed.

Blushing furiously, he realize what he just thought and forcefully shoves that thought at the back of his mind and steps back.

"S-sorry about that-"

 _ **Kracka-boom!**_

The sound of thunder interrupts Kageyama and Kumiko, surprising the hell out of them. The girl looked up, seeing the skies darken, a sign of impending rain.

"We should hurry up before the rain pours…" She remarks, and Kageyama nods.

"Then let's go—"

 _ **Fsshhhhhhhhhhhh!**_

Before he could finish his statement, however, rain suddenly pours down, drenching the two.

"Great timing, thanks." Kumiko mutters sarcastically, the rain dousing her completely. Kageyama stops for a while, thinking. An idea sparks into his mind, and he calls out to the soaked girl.

" _Hey! My house is pretty near. Wanna come?"_


	10. Chapter 10

_**Quick A/N: Slight NSFW for mentions of nudity, fyi guys.**_

 _ **Now on to the chapter!**_

* * *

When the rain comes down, it pours.

Kumiko had always liked rainy days, _**loved**_ it even. These were the days where she could just hole up inside her room, nose buried in one of the pages of her novels, while she snuggled under her warm, cozy blanket.

Her grandmother would then come in with a pot of freshly brewed tea and a plate of Kumiko's favorite chocolate chip cookies—still piping hot from the oven.

Yes, she adored rainy days when she was inside the house, on a weekend or a day-off.

 _ **Not**_ caught up in an unexpected thunderstorm while out on errands, with no umbrella and 100% possibility of being doused from head to toe.

Like the situation she was in now, to be precise.

* * *

"Get in."

Kumiko only nods in acknowledgement as Kageyama finally unlocks the lock on his front door, twisting the knob and opening the door.

"P-pardon the intrusion…" The brunette mumbles as she steps inside the boy's house, looking like a drowned cat with her whole body wet from the rain. She had stuffed her glasses back in the pocket of her skirt—apparently giving up because it continued fogging up and kept obstructing her vision.

"Your parents aren't home, Tobio-kun?"

Gazing around her new surroundings, she voices out a question to the raven-haired setter who had gone on ahead, flicking the light switches on as he made his way to the living room.

"Yeah." Kageyama's voices echoes from the living room, echoing throughout the empty walls of the house. "They're out on a business trip overseas and won't be back until next month."

Kumiko only hums back in reply and proceeds to take off her shoes and socks by the doorstep, grimacing at the wet, sticky feeling they left behind.

 _So it's just the two of us in here, huh._

The brunette blinks, slowly letting her thoughts sink in. A blush crawls on her cheeks, realizing the further implications of that teeny thought.

 _Two of us. Alone. In his house._

 _Dear lord._

 _"Here."_

A towel was suddenly thrown on her face, interrupting Kumiko's train of thought. Frowning, she pulled the towel away from her face, only to meet face to face with Kageyama.

"You'll catch a cold if you don't dry up." The boy remarks, and turned his back on her to go back to the living room. "You want to stay in the living room?"

"I'll soon follow." Kumiko retorts, running the towel through her hair. "By the way, Tobio-kun…"

Kageyama spares her a glance. "What?"

The brunette frowns at her wet uniform, before fixing a sheepish grin at him. "Do you mind if I use your shower?"

* * *

 _This is totally unplanned._

Ever since Kageyama proposed that the two head to his home since it was nearby, things had gone awry from there. The rain poured down harder, their supplies got wet, and now Kumiko was asking to use his shower.

 _And I'd like to borrow a change of clothes, if you don't mind…_ She had added hastily.

Kageyama sighs harshly, as he carried a change of clothes with him—a shirt and a pair of shorts.

He gulps down the lump forming in his throat, and tried to calm down his wildly beating heart.

Well, who could blame him for being nervous?

It was the first time a girl—apart from his female relatives, of course—had come to his home. Said girl even asked to use his shower!

"Agh, damn it." Kageyama cursed as he made his way to his shower room on the second floor. "I can't think properly."

The sounds coming from the running shower reached his ears as he walked down the hallway. Palms starting to get sweaty, he sighs rather harshly—trying to compose his self—and stops outside the wooden doorframe.

 _Just hand her the clothes and leave_. Kageyama reminds himself as he struggled to calm down. _You got this, Tobio._

Raising a fist to knock on the door, the setter calls out to the girl inside. "Oi, Kumiko! The clothes are here!"

 _No response._

He blinks, confused. The running shower sounds continued, and he assumed that the girl didn't hear him.

Kageyama sighs, trying again—this time knocking harder to catch her attention. "Oi, did you hear me?"

Still, no reply from Kumiko. Just the running water sounds from the shower.

 _Is she okay in there?_ Kageyama thoughts, hands reaching out to turn the doorknob.

 _Click!_

The door unlocked, much to his surprise. _Maybe she forgot to lock the door?_ Kageyama asks to himself as he stepped inside the bathroom. _Well, let's just get this over with._

"Oi, Kumiko. I got you a change of clothes and I'll leave it-"

He looks up; about to place the clothes on the toilet seat, but what he saw made him freeze in his actions.

The door separating the shower from the toilet was _frosted glass_ , and it made him clearly see who was bathing inside.

Long, brown hair draped down to Kumiko's shoulders as the shower continued to douse her body with warm water. Her usual pale skin blossomed with a rosy hue, courtesy of the heat. Her hand trailed down to her side, which was still covered in soap suds, the brunette's lips parted slightly as she breathes out a sigh.

A fierce blush appeared on Kageyama's cheeks as he witnessed the spectacle unfolding before him.

He had to admit, it was quite the view.

* * *

The warm, running water from the shower elicits a sigh of satisfaction from Kumiko as soon as she steps inside the shower.

She had dumped her uniform in the empty laundry basket in the toilet—she was thankful her underwear was spared.

Kumiko eyes the bottle of body wash near the shower knob and she picks it up, squinting to read the label. Twisting the cap open, she gives it an experimental sniff.

It smelled like mint, and menthol, truly from a brand of that caters to men.

"So this is what Tobio-kun uses, huh…" She mutters. "It really does…smell like him…"

Pouring an ample amount in her hand, she gently rubs the lather on her skin, smiling as the suds formed on her skin.

 _This feels really nice…_

Kumiko sighs happily once more, utterly satisfied with her bath until…

 _Clack!_

The sound of an object falling to the toilet floor distracts her from her routine and her eyes quickly darted out to the source.

Midnight-hues stare back—surprised ones, at that—at her own brown eyes.

The familiar face of Kageyama gazes back at her with an unreadable expression—mouth gaping open and close, eyes wide, face red.

"S-s-sorry! Ch-change of cl-clothes!"

Kageyama was babbling something incoherently, and it was there that it clicked in the back of the girl's mind.

 _He had been staring at her. Naked. In the shower._

Face and ears slowly staining red, the brunette grabs ahold of the bottle of body wash from the shower, slides the door open and throws the object at the male with all her might.

" _ **GET OUT, YOU PERVERT!"**_

* * *

"I'm really sorry, Kumiko! I didn't really mean it! I'm really sorry!"

The male was currently down on his knees, bowing in a kowtow position. Kumiko sat on the leather couch that was farthest from his distance, freshly-showered and dressed in Kageyama's change of clothes.

 _Dearest grandmother, I think I won't be a suitable bride anymore._ Kumiko utters morosely in her mind. _A man saw me naked before my marriage._

"I'm really sorry, Kumi—"

"Okay, that's enough, Tobio-kun…" She gently cuts off the male from exploding into another one of his apologies. They had this going on for 10 minutes already, and Kumiko was getting tired. "I forgive you…"

Kageyama perks up from his position on the floor, midnight-blue hues staring earnestly back at her eyes. "Really?"

"On the condition that you delete that memory, that is." Kumiko quickly adds in, shooting a glare at the setter's direction.

"Delete..that…memory?" Kageyama bemuses, and when the sudden image of naked Kumiko comes back into his mind, his nose suddenly spurted blood.

"Tobio-kun, I said delete! Not refresh!" Kumiko panics at the sight of blood and she hastily grabs a towel before running to the boy's side, pinching his nose and elevating his head to halt the blood flow. "Don't look down."

He narrows his eyes at her figure, a blush still evident in his cheeks. "It was your fault for leaving the door unlocked anyways—OW!"

Irritated, the brunette pinched his nose rather harshly, before replying, "You could have knocked in the first place!"

"I did, but you were too busy enjoying your shower to even notice!" Kageyama fires back, wincing from the extra pain.

Kumiko blushes, and draws the blood-stained towel away from the male's face. The blood had stopped, and he fixes her an irritated gaze with a dust of pink staining on his cheeks.

"Okay…I get it…" Kumiko mumbles before tossing the towel to the side. "It was partially my fault, too…"

She bows her head, avoiding his gaze. "..sorry for throwing that bottle at you…"

Kageyama blushes at the girl in front of him and sighs, placing a hand atop her head. The gesture from the setter surprises her and Kumiko looks up, gazing at the male's face.

Silence washes over them and Kumiko was aware of the sudden thumping of her heart inside her chest. The two still continued staring at each other, until the ceased downpour of rain breaks the subtle atmosphere.

"The rain…seems to have stopped." Kumiko mutters, and suddenly aware of their position, backs away slightly from the male. "I…have to go home, Tobio-kun…"

"O-Oh…" Kageyama suddenly grasps the situation and awkwardly stands up, hand on the back of his head. The female follows his lead, the sleeves of the shirt she borrowed falling past her elbows.

He gazes at her figure for a moment, realizing that his old shirt was still large for her rather petite built. His shorts were an old pair, and it seemed to fit her, though he could tell that it was loose.

"I-I'll walk you home—"

"No need."

His offer was turned down by the female, sinking his spirits a little.

"My home isn't that far anyway." Kumiko continues, dusting off his shirt. As if sensing his disappointment, Kumiko smiles at him. "I'll let you walk me out to your front porch, so stop making that face."

Five minutes later, the two were at Kageyama's front door.

A bag holding Kumiko's damp uniform was clutched in her right hand and she fixes a grateful smile at the setter.

"Thanks for letting me stop by, Tobio-kun." Kumiko bows slightly. "I'll return your clothes as soon as possible."

"S-sure." Kageyama muses out and Kumiko stepped out into the gateway.

"I'll be off then." She walks out of the gate, waving at him slightly. "See you in school."

Kageyama only nods in acknowledgement and watches as her figure disappears from his sight.

 _Or so he thought._

He was about to return back to his house, when all of a sudden, running footsteps resounded and an arm shoots out to grab his own. Without even realizing it, he was being pulled down by Kumiko, who promptly presses a kiss on the side of his lips.

"Good night." Kumiko mutters, a bashful smile on her lips as she steps back, running to get out of the gate, and out of his sight.

Kageyama steps back, stunned at what she just did. His hand promptly reaches out to touch the spot where her lips made contact with his skin and grinned.

* * *

 _On that rainy day,_

 _Kisses were stolen and feelings were realized._


	11. Chapter 11

Two days later, Karasuno High School's annual cultural festival finally started.

Students went to school earlier than usual to prepare their booths, and Kumiko's class was no exception.

However, this was not the greeting the brunette had expected as soon as she entered her class.

* * *

Kumiko stares, partly horrified, partly bewildered, at the _thing_ Chiharu was holding.

Black and white motif, full of ruffles and ribbons, matching lace headband and cuffs, thigh-high black stockings and one-inch heeled shoes.

There was no doubt about it. That frilly catastrophe was _a maid costume_.

" ** _Try this on!"_**

Chiharu's excited peals echoes in the busy classroom as she held up the dress to Kumiko's chest, the brunette immediately pushing the dress away.

"W-why does it have to be me who wears the maid outfit?" Kumiko panics, stepping backwards as her friend continued thrusting the dress into Kumiko's face.

"Why not?" Chiharu chirps, a wide grin on her features. "It'll suit you~"

Kumiko shakes her head rapidly. "Definitely not, Chi-chan!" She roams her eyes around the classroom. "Can't I get a, I don't know, a _different_ one?"

"With those lame selections left?" Chiharu scoffs. "Not happening."

Kumiko yelps as Chiharu's hands close on her wrist like a vise. The redhead forcibly dragged the brunette behind the girls' changing room and placed the dress on the hanger.

"Ch-chi-chaan…" Kumiko whines. "Please, anything but maid—"

"Nooo wayy~" Chiharu shoots down the incoming complaint. "Now shush, and put the dress on while I search for make-up…"

Apparently realizing that any further complaint would be rejected, Kumiko's shoulders dropped, giving up entirely. She sighs as she pulls the maid outfit off the hanger and started to get dressed.

As she buttons up the blouse, her thoughts drifted to the previous day's incident. Subconciously, she touched her lips, remembering the kiss from the other day.

Red tinted her cheeks at the memory and she shakes her head rapidly to cool her head.

 _Why did I do that for anyway?_ Kumiko mulled, hand resting atop her chest. _Ever since that happened, my heartbeat's been like this…_

Shaking her head to re-orient herself, Kumiko focused on zipping up her outfit and was about to wear the headband when Chiharu returned, this time armed with a tray of make-up essentials.

"Kumi-chaaann, you are so cuteee~!"

At her appearance, Chiharu practically squealed and tackled the brunette. Kumiko staggered back from the impact, her glasses clumsily sliding off her nose.

"Ch-chi-chaan… I can't b-breathe…"

"Whoops! Sorry!" The redhead immediately apologizes, pulling back and smiling at the brunette. "It suits you perfectly-" Chiharu stops when she notices the red blush on her best friend's face. "Are you not feeling well?"

Kumiko blinks, confused at the sudden query thrown her way. "I feel perfectly fine, why do you ask Chi-chan?"

"Your face is red." Chiharu furrows her eyebrows as she placed a hand on Kumiko's forehead. "Do you have a cold?"

Kumiko laughs and gently pries her friend's hand away from her forehead. "I'm totally fine, don't worry."

Chiharu only quirks an eyebrow and shrugs. "Well, whatever you say~"

The redhead then picks up a make-up brush and grinned. "Now, let's make you pretty!"

Kumiko only sighs, letting the redhead do whatever she wanted with her face.

* * *

While the two girls were inside and getting prepped, Kageyama arrived inside the classroom. He was (forcibly) suited up in a butler outfit—crisp and pressed white shirt, black vest, white gloves, black pants, leather shoes—and he was currently tugging at the bowtie at his collar.

"These are tight around the neck." He mutters, frowning at the bowtie and struggled to loosen it. "Damn."

"Oh, Kageyama!"

Kageyama turns around to see Chiharu poke her head out of the girls' changing rooms, a stupid grin on her face. He glares at her suspiciously.

"What is it, Suzuki?"

Chiharu's stupid grin grew wider. "Lemme show ya something good~"

Kageyama quirks an eyebrow in confusion at the red-head's remark. _Something good?_

Chiharu disappears once more behind the dark curtains and Kageyama could faintly hear shuffling and sounds of protest.

" _Come on, Kumi-chaan~"_

" _Eh? What—I'm not ready yet, Chi-chan-!"_

Kageyama's eyes widened as a faint blush seeps unto his cheeks. _Kumiko?_

A few more shuffles and the curtains parted, revealing a grinning Chiharu. In an overly dramatic voice, she holds out her hands, bowing slightly.

"May I present to you…" The red head parts the curtains fully to expose her best friend behind. "…Kumi-chan~!"

Kageyama only watches as Kumiko walks out of the changing room. With her brown hair pulled back into a neat ponytail accented with a headband, she was decked into a traditional black maid uniform with a white ruffled apron. A pair of frilly black thigh-high stockings and low-heeled black shoes completed the look—her glasses promptly replaced with a pair of brown doll lenses. A pair of lace cuffs adorned her wrists as well.

Kageyama freezes up at her appearance, the red blush on his cheeks almost burning. He awkwardly raises his palm up, covering his face.

 _Crap_. He exclaims in his head. _She's really cute._

Kumiko shuffles awkwardly in her dress, pulling down the skirt as she blinks her eyes rapidly—a tint of pink visible in her cheeks as she stood in front of the male.

"Chi-chan, you didn't have to do that…" The brunette muses under her breath. "…super embarrassing."

Chiharu grinned from ear to ear as she appraised the situation unfolding in front of her right now. Pushing Kumiko's shoulders slightly so that her friend would inch closer to Kageyama, she cheerfully quips before exiting the premises of the room for advertising purposes: "Well then, see you later, you two~~!"

Kumiko gasps at the sudden force from her friend, and given her clumsy nature, she tumbles straight into Kageyama. Surprised, the setter immediately reacts, catching her by her shoulders to break her fall.

"Are you okay?" Kageyama immediately asks, voice hinted with concern. "That was close."

Kumiko takes a breath before nodding. "I'm fine. Honestly what was Chi-chan…" She falters, looking up to hold Kageyama's gaze and suddenly realizing the situation she was in. "…thinking…"

Kageyama pauses, confused at her actions, only to let his midnight-blue hues run to where his arms where still holding Kumiko's shoulders. He blushes up to his ears and immediately pulls back.

"S-sorry!" He barks back and Kumiko wrings her hands, trying to calm down her heart that suddenly sped up a few notches.

Cue to an awkward silence before Kumiko notices his crooked bow tie.

"Tobio-kun…" Kumiko finds her voice. "Your bowtie, it's crooked."

Kageyama breaks out of his embarrassment for a moment and looks down, scowling as he tries to tug at the piece of clothing.

"I could never get the hang of this…" He grumbles and Kumiko's look softens for a moment before stepping in closer to Kageyama's figure.

"Let me help." She offers, gently prying off Kageyama's hands off his bowtie. The male flinches for a moment at her touch, and within seconds, Kumiko has managed to straighten his bowtie back into place.

"There. Better?" She straightens the crinkles on the fabric of his shirt, looking up to him only to flinch with a start that their faces were nearly centimetres away from touching.

Kageyama focuses on her lips, the feel of them on his cheek still fresh from memory the other day. Kumiko catches him staring and immediately, her cheeks started to burn, yet she didn't look away.

"Kumiko, you…" Kageyama starts, his eyes locked unto hers. Kumiko flinched at the tone of his voice.

"Y-yes?" She squeaks, her nerves rattled by the close proximity of the boy in front of her.

Kageyama brings a hand to cover half of his face, his cheeks burning bright crimson before uttering the next words.

 **"… _you look really cute."_**

Blood rushed to Kumiko's ears as she hears those words come out from the setter, and she could feel her heartbeat accelerate rapidly. Looking down, she chose to focus on her shoes, before finding her voice.

"T-thank you." She mutters, before looking up to meet his gaze again, her blush reducing to a slight pink tint on her cheeks. "You look dashing too, Tobio-kun."

Kumiko flashes him a small, shy smile and Kageyama visibly flinches at her compliment. He heaves another deep breath before backing away and staring at anywhere except her face.

"T-thanks."

 _Crap._ Kageyama mutters inside his head, his heart pounding rapidly in his chest. _What is this feeling?_

* * *

"Everyone!"

Yamada stands at attention in the front of the classroom, his classmates ready and decked into various costumes. He heaves a deep breath before speaking again.

" _ **Let's do our best for today!"**_

Raising their fists in the air, cheers of determination from his classmates soon followed.

" _ **OSU!"**_


End file.
